IMPACT OF PARENTAL SEPARATION ON THE SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL

DEVELOPMENT OF SENIOR HIGHSCHOOL STUDENTS IN BAGUMBAYAN

NATIONAL HIGHSCOOL

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK

A RESEARCH PROJECT SUBMITTED TO

PROF. LEILANY URSUA

MAY 2019

CASIMIRO, MARK PAUL D.

HOMBREBUENO, BEATRICE D.
JAPAY, WILSAR S.
MADALI, ALMIRAH D.
ORTEGA, JASMIN G.
SAYAT, WELLA JEAN P.
 Chapter 1
PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

No other social unit can viably understand the tremendous influence and capacity it
accomplishes for society than the family. Family is the fundamental unit of society that fills in as
the connection between the individual and society, it is the place each individual‟s earliest and
longest experience takes place. Nothing else can replace the family as a center for the
psychosocial development of individuals and as the transmitter of culture (Lana, et al., 2004).

Family plays a crucial role in molding one‟s personality, belief and capability. Everything
about a man mostly relies on the state of the family he belonged. The way he acts towards other
people could be accounted to the people whom he often mingles with. Living under the same
roof might as well add to the reasons how dependent he is to his family. Even so, since every
individual has this reliance towards his family, any adversity would definitely affect his whole-
being. Such devastating matters regarding family relationships like parent‟s separation could
give a severe impact to the people concerned, which are the children (Eshica, 2010).

Today, many are involved in a broken family. Parental separation is a social issue that
brings a huge change into the life of a children regardless of what the age. Witnessing loss of
affection between parents, having parents break their marriage duty, adjusting to going back and
forth between two different households, and the day by day absence of one parent while living
with the other, all create a challenging new family circumstance in which to live (Pickhardt,
2011). Separation between parents is harder to cope with for any adolescent or child and causes
more anxiety and stress upon household.
 Although the widespread belief regarding the family life that the marriage should be
lifetime commitment, the parents separation rate in the world is growing. The Philippines is the
only country in the world, aside from the Vatican City, where divorce is not legal (Emery, 2013).
Although annulment and declaration of nullity of marriage are available to terminate some
marriages in the country, they have many shortcomings, one of which is their high economic cost
(Taylor, 1938; Constable, 2003; Lopez, 2006; Lauser, 2008; Calonzo and Cayabyab, 2013;
Daytec-Yañgot, 2015). In the Philippines, the number of annulment and nullity cases
documented at the Office of the Solicitor-General (OSG) has increased from 4,520 in 2001 to
11,135 in 2014. Over the last decade the proportion of Filipinos who agreed that “married
couples who have officially separated and cannot reconcile anymore ought to be permitted to
separate with the goal that they can legally marry again” increased from 43% in 2005 to 60% in
2014 (Abalos, 2017). Aside from the legal and economic barriers to dissolving marriage in the
Philippines, there is also a strong stigma attached to having had a union dissolved (Chan, 1997;
Raposas, 2008). Despite this confluence of factors that impede the majority of Filipinos from
terminating unsatisfactory marriages, evidence stull points to a growing number of Filipinos who
have had their marriage dissolved or sought to have their marriage dissolved (Abalos, 2011;
Emery 2013). While among industrialized nations, the highest separation rates is in the United
States, where about half of all first marriages end in separation and more than a million children
experience their parents‟ divorce each year (Haimi, et al., 2016). In England and Wales, 53% of
live births were born within marriage in 2013, compared to 59% in 2003 and 93% in 1963 (cited
in Henderson, 2016). Also in Canada, most children report painful feelings about their parents‟
divorce, and a significant minority of children suffer extended and prolonged symptomology
related to parental divorce that may include both internalizing and externalizing problems
(Emery Re, 1999). It is estimated that the proportion of marriages ending in divorce or separation
is 42%. Nearly half (48 %) of couples divorcing or separating in 2013 has at least one child ages
under 16 living in the family (cited in Henderson, 2016).

Furstenberg, Nord, Peterson, and Zill (1983) noted that the rising occurrence of
separation suggests that the institutions of marriage and family are in serious trouble. Their
discoveries showed this increasing pattern in marital discord is greatly preventing the present
well-being and future of prospects of adolescents who are socialized most effectively with two
parents present in the home. Separation is an impact which can seriously weaken the capacity of
the family as a socializing agency.

With such a large amount of children and adolescents who experience the parental
separation, it is imperative to understand how this process affects them. Children‟s physical and
emotional status, as well as their social and cognitive development, greatly depend on their
family dynamics. This rising incidence of behavioural problems among children could suggest
that some families are struggling to cope with the increasing stresses they are experiencing. The
studies of the implications of parental separation for children‟s well-being have consistently
shown that children of separated parents far worse on various measures of well-being that
children living in intact families (Amato 2001; Amato and Keith 1991). Research likewise
affirms that children of separated parents may experience emotional problems such as loneliness
and depression (Vander Valk, et. al., 2005). Although most studies showed that parental
separation has negative impact on children, there are a wide range of interpretations about this
circumstance on children, especially about the intensity of the effect, regardless of whether the
negative effect is emerging from the separation itself or from the procedure, and whether this
procedure can quite be useful for children in certain circumstances (Haimi, et al., 2016).

Some of the potential developmental problems among adolescents in the Philippines

pertaining to separation of the parents are social problems including withdrawal, loneliness, loss
of confidence, school problems, learning disorders, anxiety and depression, alcohol and drug
abuse (particularly associated with mental illness, suicide or self-harming, theft and criminal
behaviour. Also, discipline problems including selfishness, defiance, unstable behaviour,
recklessness, deceitfulness, violent behaviour and disruptive behaviour. As well as, educational
problems including disruptive behaviour too, bullying and decreased learning ability and
academic achievements. These all yielded the researchers to conduct the study.

The purpose of this study is to further explore and deeply understand the impact that a
parental separation can have on adolescent‟s development and the coping strategies used by the
adolescents with separated parents. The review of literature will provide an overview of what has
already been concluded about adolescent development and what could be further looked at. This
will also examine the research questions that were presented in this study which were directed to
the impact on the socio-emotional development of parental separation among Senior High school
students.

Background of the Study

To gain insight into the topic, psychological and social studies on the subject matter were
gathered and reviewed. It was found that a great deal of research has taken place, documenting
the impact of separation on children. It was also found that separation is an experience that is
now part of the lives of an increasing number of students nationwide.

A significant body of research shows that children‟s healthy socio-emotional

development and well-being is rooted in a secure attachment to a primary caregiver (Fonagy &
Target, 1997; Porcerelli, Huth-Bocks, Huprich, & Richardson, 2016; Rosenblum, Dayton, &
Muzik, 2009; Waters & Deane, 1985). When children are separated from primary caregivers,
particularly for extended periods of time and/or over repeated instances, the attachment system is
disrupted and leads to compromised outcomes for children (NCTSN, 2016, Fox & Rutter, 2010).
Separation may be sudden, unexpected, and/or prolonged, and often accompanied by additional
cumulative stressful events, such as parental incarceration, parental deportation, or termination of
parental rights (NCTSN, 2016).

Coughlan (2002) noted that almost all of the children were aware that their parents were
experiencing difficulties in their relationships, before they learned about the separation. They
became aware of problems in a range of different ways, including conflict between their parents,
their parent spending little time together, and their parents sleeping in separate bedrooms.

Adolescence is progressively perceived as the second major „window‟ of opportunity and

risk in development, next only in significance to early childhood development. It is a period of
biological, cognitive and social change (Moretti, 2004). However, various studies have
discovered that parental separation is associated with a range of negative outcomes for younger
children and adolescents across different domains (D‟Onoforio, 2011).
 Amid life advances, especially those of adolescence, children may be more vulnerable to
emotional distress. Marital dissolution during this time has been shown to have potentially strong
negative results for many individuals (Bloom, 1978; Cowen, 1980; Felner, Farber & Primavera,
1980). Studies have shown that the impacts of family disruption due to separation has pointed to
higher levels of aggression and acts of violent behaviour in children (Felner, Farber, Ginter,
Boike & Cowen, 1981). Other studies have shown heightened anxiety, intense anger, loneliness,
and somatic complaints (Walletstein & Kelley, 1975); along with sadness, fear, and depression
(Kelley & Wallerstein, 1976).

For adolescents, parental separation has also been shown to have potentially grave
adaptive consequences. Schoettle and Cantwell (1980) have demonstrated that teenagers who
experience family disruption because of separation have an increased possibility of impulse
control problems and displays of antisocial behaviour. Research by Hetherington (1972) and
Young & Parish (1977) observed parental separation to be related with lower self-esteem,
problems with sex role development, and greater difficulties in interactions with members of the
opposite sex. Wallerstein and Kelly (1974) found a relationship between the loss of external
qualities in adolescents who experience parental separation.

Farber, Primavera, and Felner (1983) had presented a study that indicated that parental
separation may be a highly stressful life transition for teenagers. Due to parental separation,
patterns of problem behaviour include increased difficulties of interpersonal relationships, sexual
identity as well as heightened levels of emotional difficulties, along with drug and alcohol use.

Parental separation is also connected with negative outcomes and earlier life transitions
as offspring enter young adulthood and later life. Children of separation are bound to experience
poverty, educational failure, early and risky sexual activity, non-marital childbirth, earlier
marriage, cohabitation, and marital discord and separation (D‟Onoforio, 2011).

Statement of the Problem

 The research entitled “Impact of Parental Separation on the Social and Emotional
Development of Senior High School Students of Bagumbayan National High School” is
designed primarily to answer and investigate some questions regarding social and emotional
effects and coping strategies of adolescents who have separated parents.

Specifically, the study sought to answer the following questions:

1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:

1.1 Age
1.2 Gender
1.3 Educational Attainment
1.4 Parents Occupation
1.5 Number of siblings
1.6 Birth order
1.7 Number of married years
1.8 Number of separated years
2. What are the reasons of parent‟s separation?
3. How parental separation affects the social and emotional development of the students?
4. What are the strategies used by the respondents in coping with their problems?
5. What are the recommendations may be given to assist students of Bagumbayan National High
School in coping with their problem?

Research Locale

The study will be conducted in Bagumbayan National High School, a public school that
is specifically located at ML Quezon St., Brgy. Bagumbayan, Taguig City. The respondents will
be asked to answer a survey as well as interviewed in their school or any agreeable places that
the respondents will decide to. The study will be conducted in the first semester of the Academic
Year 2019-2020.
 The focus of this study is to find out the impact of parental separation on the social and
emotional development of Grade 11 and Grade 12 students of Bagumbayan National High
school (BNHS). The researchers chose the implementation since it will give the researchers the
required data from the individuals of Bagumbayan National High school.

Vision of Bagumbayan National Highschool

“A school of distinction that produces competent and value – laden learners nurtured in
fast changing environment.”

Mission of Bagumbayan National Highschool

“To provide quality education to all types of learners through strong public – private
partnership and responsible governance.”
 Figure 1: Map of Bagumbayan National Highschool cited in Google Maps

Scope and Limitation

The study will cover the impact of parental separation on the social and emotional
development of Grade 11 and Grade 12 students of Bagumbayan National High school (BNHS).
The variables of this study will utilize the data acquired from the given survey and the interview.
The population of the study will be restricted to 50 students having a place with broken family
and 5 selected students for the interview. Such number will be spread equally to Grade 11 and
12. Since this study is to comprehend the social and emotional impact on the students. It is not
concentrate on the causes of the separation.
Significance of the Study

The study will be of more prominent contribution to different people just as to social
institutions. The result of the study will give significance to the following:

To the students, this study will provide recommendations on the coping systems they can
use to conceal their issues resulted by the separation of their parents.

To the parents, this study will serve as an awareness on the social and emotional
developmental difficulties that the children experiencing during separation that will greatly help
them in understanding, guiding and raising their children properly.

To the readers, this study will give information that will enhance their recognition about
the impact of parental separation.

To the academe, this study will provide useful insights for faculty and staff and other
schools and campuses to better understand and serve their students belonging to broken family.

To the National and Local government, this study will be a great help in strengthening the
pre-marriage counselling in emphasizing the importance of intact family bond to the
development of the children.

To the future analysts, this study would like to understand the changes of the present
impact of parental separation to the advancement of this age.